1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a coin processing device for processing several different types of coins such as the type that is assembled into automatic vending machines and more particular, the present invention is directed to a compact and efficient coin processing device that provides ready access to the coins while maximizing storage capacities.
2. Description of Related Art
The necessity to process coins for making change is well understood in the automatic vending machine field and includes not only monetary coins, but other forms of tokens that are used, for example, in game arcade machines, etc. The coin processing devices not only determining the authenticity of the coin or token, but are further capable of providing change when the amount of money inserted into the machine is greater than the price of the product being purchased.
A coin processing device must have the capacity to store coins and to provide coins for making change. An operator of an automatic vending machine will initially charge the coin processing device with a supply of coins to ensure that subsequent users will be able to receive the proper change. The coins deposited by the users will also then become available for making change for subsequent users.
An example of a coin processing device for an automatic vending machine can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,610. This type of coin processing device utilizes several tubes arranged across the front surface of the coin processing device to enable the coins to be stacked and housed in the tubes for providing change. If it is desired to increase the number of coins, the tubes must be lengthened, which would require the heighth of the entire automatic vending machine to also be increased to accommodate the added capacity. As can be appreciated, there is a desire to minimize the volume within the housing of the automatic vending machine that is required by a coin processing devising. Increasing the length of the tubes is counter to this requirement. Additionally, the tubes are hollow and cylindrical with a slightly larger diameter than that of the coins and coins can generally only be inserted in a sequential one-by-one charging of the structure. Since the diameter of the tubes are larger than the diameter of the coins by a slight amount, it is sometimes difficult to insert the coins. In addition, the requirement of providing a slanted gap between the inner wall of the tubes and the input coins can have an undesirable result of coins sometimes clogging the coin dispensing device resulting in problems for the entire automatic vending machine.
Another example of a coin dispensing apparatus can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,480.
Accordingly, there is still a desire to improve coin processing devices to permit a rapid and simple apparatus for supplying coins for making change that can accommodate the storage of a large amount of coins. There is also a desire to reduce the heighth of a coin processing device compared with the amount of coins being processed for making change, while ensuring that the maintenance of the coin processing device can easily be accomplished.
Finally, there is a desire to avoid any problems of clogging and to ensure that the storage of several different types of coins can be accommodated in a bulk configuration.